St. Maarten Map & Port Info!!!

red stripe

red stripe

Staff Captain
Thank you Einstein. sometime we have got to get out of town and explore again.. I am sure there are some great spots that we have not seen yet
 
Cyndi

Cyndi

Environmental Compliance Officer
Thanks E,,, we haven't seen any spots on this Island, what do you recommend? All we know about is the Air Port, area where you see the planes land.
Cyndi
 
red stripe

red stripe

Staff Captain
Cyndi, we are still trying to make up our minds :) I am going to research each stop we make and add what I find on this board.

I read about a supposedly great snorkeling tour by "Random Winds" that looks promising.
I found this site.. I am not sure if E has it above, but I found a lot of good info on it. and another map showing all the beaches.
I went to those drop down boxes across the top and found "beaches" on that page there were all the beaches listed, and a click on each name showed photos and gave information on them. They have some lovely beaches there.

http://www.sint-maarten.net/St-Maarten-Activities/st_Maarten_activities.html


I am printing out that map showing the locations of the beaches, and suggest that everyone does the same.


Stmaartenbeachmap.gif

​
.
 
Last edited:
red stripe

red stripe

Staff Captain
I also found this document that I wrote out and posted a couple of years ago on the Caribbean forum. so some of the prices for things may be off.

Sint Maarten/St Martin



In our opinion it has the best prices for shopping there are.​

Better than St. Thomas.​
​
When you get off the ship you catch the ferry to shore. It is $5, and they give you a bracelet so that you can come and go as you please.
This ferry makes two stops. The first one is close by, and is the end of all the shopping and beach fun.
You can get off there and walk all the way down through Front street if you wish, or stay on for the “downtown†stop that puts you in the middle.
The beaches are filled with areas that you can (if you wish) rent lockers to put in your things while you go swimming. They also rent chairs etc.
You can sit in the shade and have food and drinks brought to you.
Front Street is the main shopping area. They have cobbled the street, and it is very pretty.

Look out for “The Yoda Man’s store.
It is near the Swiss chocolate place if you do not know who he is.. Here is a link to his site.
http://www.yodaguy.com/

There is an open market behind the courthouse, where you can buy all kind of souvenirs and clothes.
I usually head for back street. I do not know if that is what it is called, but it runs parallel to Front Street. You get to it by taking any alley.
The shops there are more basic, but some great prices. Sis and I buy shoes there for $5 to $25 and shorts and dresses etc. for about $5.
Now gradually people are finding out about this, so I expect the prices to gradually go up. But right now, this is the first place I head to.


If you want to go over to marigot bay, you can either take a taxi or catch the Jitney (bus) the bus is really a van and there is a sign in the window of the van telling where that van goes to. The total charge was $2.50 each versus the $20 the taxi wanted. It was $1.50 to Marigot and then another $1.00 to Grande Case.
You catch this on the back street
We have done this a few times.

Another great thing to do is America's Cup Regatta. What an exhilarating experience.


And we love to do the Golden Eagle Catamaran. You go over to a small island and swim and eat and drink.


But if this is the first time you have been to st. Martin then I would not do it, but enjoy all the island has to offer,
You will find that for those leaving the beaches closest to the ship, Orient Beach is the favorite. A part of it is clothing optional.


Here is a link to one of the galleries on the cruise-addicts board, with some photos of St. Martin we took.

http://www.cruise-addicts.com/photogallery/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=94590
Marigot Bay is very pretty, and there are lovely places to sit outside and eat.
And on a Saturday they have a market day.
Here is a nice link with photos
http://www.orientbeach.com/marigot/

Zoo.
Heading north by car on Pondfill Road from Philipsburg, you arrive at the Madam Estate area, site of the St. Maarten Park. Governed by the St. Maarten Zoological and Botanical Garden, it features animals, birds and plants native to the Caribbean Basin and South America.


Northeast of the St. Maarten Park are Dawn Beach, Oyster Pond and Guana Bay, the first best known as a favored snorkeling and windsurfing beach.



According to legend, Oyster Pond is the point where a Frenchman and Dutchman stood back to back and starting walking around the island in either direction, determining the present-day boundaries between Dutch and French St. Maarten.





For a great view and a taste of history, you can climb Mount Concordia, which rises along the border in the center of the island.

In 1648, the treaty that divided the island was signed here, and Mount Concordia continues to serve as a proud symbol of St. Maarten's 350+ year history of peaceful co-existence between the two cultures.


Cole Bay Hill, just west of Philipsburg, has an observation platform at the top. A stop here is highly recommended for views of surrounding islands, including Anguilla, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, and Nevis. Down along the coast, a popular walking trail leads from Cole Bay to Cay Bay. The walk takes about an hour.


Further west is Simpson Bay Lagoon, a large, enclosed stretch of water perfect for water-skiing. The road leading along the south side of the lagoon goes past the island's largest resort, Maho Bay.


Cupecoy Beach is the last beach in Dutch territory on the western side of the island. Visitors who want the full St. Maarten experience can follow the road through the French side.
From http://www.st-maarten.com/exploring.htm


Philipsburg, the capital of Dutch St. Maarten, fills a narrow stretch of land between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond. Founded in 1763 by John Philips, a Scottish captain in the Dutch navy, it soon became a bustling center of international trade.
Today it is as bustling as ever, with lively shopping streets, cafes, and hotels.



Two main roads cut across the length of Philipsburg--Front Street and Back Street. Front Street is lined with duty-free shops offering everything from Italian leather goods and Japanese cameras to native crafts.

Narrow alleyways lead in either direction to arcades and courtyards filled with flowers.



Front Street's most prominent landmark is the Courthouse, built in 1793. A grand white wooden structure topped with a cupola, it now serves as St. Marten’s courthouse.

Also on Front Street is the Simartin Museum, which gives visitors an excellent introduction to local history. Among the artifacts on display are pottery from the island's original inhabitants, the Arawaks, and cargo salvaged from a British ship, which sank off the coast in 1801.

Two historic forts bear witness to Philipsburg's strategic importance in St. Maarten's history. Fort Amsterdam, built in 1631 on a peninsula between Great Bay and Little Bay, was the first Dutch military outpost in the Caribbean.



Unfortunately, it was soon captured by the Spanish, who made it their most important bastion east of Puerto Rico. The Spanish abandoned the fort in 1648, and since then it has remained in Dutch hands.

All military operations ceased in the 19th century, although the fort was used as a signaling and communications station into the 1950s. A few walls of the original bastion remain, and the site provides an outstanding view of modern Philipsburg.



Fort Willem, easily recognizable by its television transmission tower, lies just to the west of downtown. Built in 1801 by the British, it was taken over by the Dutch in 1816. It's an easy hike up to the fort, with a lovely panorama of Philipsburg and neighboring islands at the top.

Pinel island
To get to Pinel follow the signs past Orient Beach, coming from the Dutch side. It must be reached by boat, so drive to the waiting area and park--the boat runs every 15 minutes. It is only a five-minute ride, about $3 per person. ​
Pinel is basically a sand bar island where you can walk out and enjoy the water protected. It's great for children. Chairs and umbrellas are for rent, outdoor johns, and a restaurant. Spend the day and relax.
​
Also up the hill on your way back look for the sign for the Ma Doudou Factory. Our favorite local liquor, the banana vanilla, is wonderful. It packs a punch, so sip only. ​

We were told that they do the return trip every 15 to 20 minutes, but do not rely on that, give yourself plenty of time to get back.​
The last boat goes at 4:30pm.​

​
The island has a beautiful beach and is very shallow and clear. At one end there is a rocky area, which you can reach by a path along the coast, then go down a small pier right into the water for some great snorkeling. The area is fenced off by some buoys. Be careful around the point--the water can be rougher.

Pinel Island has chairs and umbrellas to rent as well as jet skis, paddleboats, kayaks, and banana boats. There are also a few places to get drinks and food. The island is quite small and there are a few paths you can follow to climb to the top of the hills so that you can see for miles around.
​

​

​
From the Blue Sloth.​
“We caught a ferry to Pinel Island on Saturday. We hiked over the to the back side with our snorkel gear and then swam out to the reef. We slowly made our way around the island until we were back at the beach you see here. We'd worked up a pretty good appetite by then. There are two restaurants on the island, and we had a wonderful lunch with a bottle of wine under the cool palm fronds; tomato and mozzarella salad, fresh fish fritters and barbequed short ribs. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on the soft cushions under the big umbrella and swimming in the clear, green water. It had been two days since I raised my voice and the sense of utter relaxation was beginning to settle in. I remembered what it was like to have a wife and feel like every night was date night. We caught the boat back to Cul de Sac and drove back to Grand Case, stopping at a little grocery called Bounty to pick up Brie, grapes, fresh bread, and a bottle of
Wine for our early-evening appetizer on the balcony. We caught the sunset before we walked down into town for our second gourmet dinner of the trip, where we both ordered exactly the same thing: fresh spiny lobster and Caesar salad​
​

​
Boats would pull into the harbor and anchor and the occupants would either wade over to the little dock , or a waiter would putter out to fetch them in a whaler.
​

Anguilla is a small island off of St. Martin.
This was from Hooked.


"A group of 8 of us ventured over to Anguilla for the day. The group consisted or myself and Connie Cruise Cutie and DH, Corky and DH, Cinnamon and DH, and J.E.M and DW..



We took the Ferry from Marigot to Anguilla, than a taxi to the beach. I was approached in the Ferry terminal Marigot by a fellow, who asked if we would need a taxi when we arrived in Anguilla, after thinking for a second I said sure. When we arrived at Anguilla and went through customs Mel the taxi driver met us with a very nice Air Conditioned mini bus. He gave us a narrated tour on the way to Gwen’s beach bar.
Except for JEM we spent a couple of hours at Gwen's beach bar, which was East Bay Shoal beach.
I had been reading a book about a couple that went to Anguilla to open a beach bar but had ended up opening a restaurant. Mel told me he was mentioned in the book, I had remembered that and had him autograph the book. Many of the things he mentioned on the ride I had red about in the book.
The island is very non-commercialized but does have beautiful beaches. On the East end of the island there are some hotels but if I remember none of them are more than 2 stories high.
The s\trip consisted of a Taxi ride from the Cruise ship pier in Philipsburg to the Ferry terminal in Marigot (about 20 minutes), than the Ferry to Anguilla (about ½ hr). And finally the taxi to East Shoal bay (another ½ hr). The cost for 2 people was right around $110.00 so it is not a cheap excursion but it is well worth it. You see a real Caribbean island, which has not been inundated by Cruise Ships. Make sure you plan enough time for your return trip (you don’t want to miss the ship. Also you do need Passports to get into and out of Anguilla.

It was a great adventure. "



 


Write your reply...
Top